Baler



W. VUTZ Feb. 14, 1950 BALER 3 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed June 23. 1944 W. VUTZ Feb. 14, 1950 BALER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 23. 1944 INVENTOR. Mike/m Y/ufz Patented Feb. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,497,641 v nALna Wilhelm Vutz, Goldwater, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Avco Manufacturing Corporation, a corporation of Delaware 7 Application June '23, 1944, Serial No. 541,735

My invention relates to apparatus for baling hay and the like.- While various features of the invention are applicable to balers in general, the invention is being initially embodied with special advantages in a windrow pick-up baler. For the purpose of the present disclosure, I elect to describe a pick-up baler of the swinging plunger type, such disclosure afiording adequate guidance for those skilled in the art having occasion to apply underlying principles to other specific types of balers.

In general, pick-up-"nalers of the swinging plunger type are of massive construction. One object of my invention is to provide a pick-up baler of compact design that is light in weight for a given capacity. This object is attained largely by actuation as well as pivotally supporting the swinging plunger from above the chamber into which the plunger crowds material to be baled.

Another object of my invention is to provide a baler with a novel and advantageous arrangement for accumulation and feeding material in' timed relation to the operation of the baling plunger. In this regard the preferred practice of my invention is characterized by the provision of an accumulation space adjacent the baling chamber, the accumulation space being defined in part by a conveyor means cooperative with the material pick-up, there being additional conveying means periodically effective to move material out of the accumulation space in timed relation to the operation of the swinging plunger.

A third object of the invention is to provide a novel automatic tying mechanism that does not require a pause in the operation of the baling plunger; In general, this third object is attained by providing a clutch for the tying mechanism that is controlled by a .metering means through a trip arrangement, automatic means being provided to reset the arrangement. In the preferred practice of my invention, the trip mech anism is actuated through the medium of an overrunning clutch that is effective at spaced points in the operation of the metering means, these points being adjustable in spacing for producing bales of various sizes as may be desired.

.The above and other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, which show a preferred form of the invention by way of suggestion and illustration only,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus;

. .Fig. 2 is'a side elevation of the apparatus with parts broken away;

Fig. 3' is a side elevation with parts broken away, the view showing certain mechanism in alternative position;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken as indicated 3Claims. (Cl. 100- 3) 2 by the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, certain parts being omitted for simplicity;

Fig. 5 is an exploded view in perspective of means for ,automatic actuation of the baletying mechanism; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front view of the swinging plunger.

General arrangement The baler shown in the drawings is provided with a hitch Ill for attachment to a tractor or other draft means and is supported by a pair of side wheels I I and may have a pair of front wheels l2 or other weight gauging means. The principal parts of the general combination include a baling chamber generally designated IS, a plunger head generally designated l6 mounted on a pivoted reciprocating support means ii, an accumulation space or recepta'ble IS in front of the baling chamber, a pick-up means 20 adapted to cooperate with an upper conveyor means 2| to deliver material to the accumulation receptacle, a periodically efl'ective conveyor means 22 to move material from the accumulation receptacle into the path of the plunger head IS in timed relation to the plunger head operation, a bale-tying mechanism including a pair of needles 23 mounted below the baling chamber, a pair of knotter means 25 mounted above the baling chamber, and a metering means generally designated 26 for controlling the operation of the needles and the knotter means in response to movement of compressed material in the baling chamber.

The arrangement for forming holes The baling chamber l5 which is of rectangular cross sectional configuration is open at both ends so that material may be forced in at the front end by the plunger head It and may escape in the form of finished bales at the rear end. The side and top walls of the baling chamber form a curved receiving end 21 with curved slots 28 in the sides, the receiving end and the two slots having in common a center of curvature located at 30.

The plunger head it which is dimensioned to fit into the curved receiving end 21 of the baling chamber is mounted on the swinging support II by side connections positioned to extend through the two curved slots 28-. In the preferred practice of my invention, the support means ll comprises a pair of arms 3!, one on each side of the baling chamber IS, the two arms being rotatably mounted on an upper cross shaft 32 extending along the axis 30.

For actuation of theplunger head I 6 a con v necting rod 33 may connect each of the two arms with a crank pin 35 on a large crank gear 38,- the two gears 36 on the opposite sides of the 3 machine being keyed to a common cross shaft 81. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the two arms 5| may be interconnected at their lower ends by a cross. member 38 forming a transverse support bar positioned to extend through the two curved slots 28, the cross member being a structural part of the plunger head I6. The plunger head includes a plurality of spaced vertical longitudinal plates or ribs 40 and a bottom .plate 4|, all of which are directly mounted on the cross member 38. The structure of the front of the Plunger head also includes an upper transverse nosepiece 42, a transverse pressure plate 43. and a transverse cutting blade positioned to cooperate with a stationary cutting blade on the baling chamber.

The material of the plunger head It is cut away to form suitable slots 41 to provide clearance for the two previously mentioned needles 23 when the plunger head is in the region of the needle movement.

An important feature of the described plunger head is the manner in which it permits the escape of displaced air and yet is effective in compressing material into the baling chamber. In the absence of any special provisions for air release, the displaced air which is heavily ladened with dust and fine particles will escape in numerous directions around the edge of the advancing plunger head, the result being unnecessary dispersal of dust and excessive deposition of dust on such working parts as the knotter mechanism above the baling chamber. As best shown in Fig. 6, the spaced longitudinal plates 40 form numerous ample air vent passages 48 above the pressure plate 43, these air vent passages directing the dust-laden air away from all adjacent mechanism.

Material feeding means The side walls of the curved receiving end of the baling chamber l5 are continued as side walls 50 for the accumulation receptacle I8. The bottom of the accumulation receptacle is part of a material-supporting wall 5| that extends forward from the baling chamber l5 and is curved to form a forward pick-up nose 52 of curved configuration. Mounted inside the nose 52 is a rotary pick-up assembly 53 having radial tines or conveyor projections 55 for extension through longitudinal slots 56 in the pick-up nose 52, the nose and the rotary assembly comprising the pick-up means 20. The pick-up nose 52 is curved eccentrically relative to the axis of the rotary pick-up assembly so that the tines 55 extend downward and forward through the pick-up nose to engage and lift the material to be baled but retreat to within the nose as they move rearwardly from their uppermost positions.

The upper conveyor means 2| comprises a rotary cylinder 51 inside of which is mounted a rotary assembly 58 eccentrically thereto. Extending radially outwardly from the rotary assembly 58 is a plurality of conveyor projections or prongs 60 adapted to retractably extend through the corresponding short peripheral slots 5| in the cylinder 51, the eccentric relationship being such that the prongs are extended to the maximum during the lower halves of their rotary paths and are completely retracted inside the cylinder 51 during the upper halves of their circular paths.

It will be noted that the upper conveyor means 2| is set slightly rearwardly of the pick-up means 20 so that the upper conveyor means in eiIect receives the material released by the pick-up means and propels the material rearward towards the center of the accumulation receptacle II. In effect. the upper conveyor means 2| serves as a wall of the accumulation receptacle II and cooperates with the pick-up means 25 to form the entrance to the receiving receptacle.

The conveyor means 22 for periodically shifting material from the accumulation receptacle it towards the baling chamber l5 comprises three fingers 62 and mechanism for causing thev three fingers to move in a suitable conveying path involving extension and retraction of the. fingers through three slots 55 in the wall 5| at the bottom of the accumulation receptacle. In the construction shown, the three fingers 52 are fulcrumed at intermediate points thereof on a crank provided by a crank shaft 55 and at their inner ends are connected by individual links 51 to fixed brackets 65. The combined effect of moving the fulcrums of the fingers in the circular orbits and of flexibly anchoring the inner ends of the fingers by the links 61 is to cause the finger tips to move in the manner indicated by the dotted line 69 in Fig. 2. Thus the fingers move upwardthrough the slots 65 in the material-supporting wall 5| to engage the material released by the upper conveyor means 2| and then the fingers move forward into the path of the plunger head it at the receiving end of the baling chamber, whereupon the fingers drop below the material-supporting wall 5| to return to their forward positions for again engaging the material.

The arrangement for tying bales The two needles 23 which are of the curved configuration shown are keyed to a common shaft 10 for movement in unison. Figure 3 shows needles 23 of modified design having a slightly different configuration from that of needles 23 shown in Figure 2, but being otherwise equivalent in function. The knotter means 25 with which the two needles cooperate may be any of the well known devices that are commercially available and need not be described. The baletying mechanism includes a cross shaft II to serve as common actuating means for the two needles and the knotter. For this purpose a crank 12 at one end of the cross shaft II is connected by a link 13 with one of the two needles 23 and a sprocket 15 keyed to the same shaft actuates a sprocket chain I5 for driving the knotter means 25. The sprocket chain I6 passes around an idler sprocket 11 and around an upper driven sprocket 18 that is operatively connected with the knotter 25 in a suitable manner.

The means for controlling the intermittent operation of the two needles and the knotter is best shown in Figs. 4. and 5. Freely rotatable on the cross shaft II is a driven rotary clutch member 50 in the form of a gear meshing with one of the previously mentioned gears 36 to be continuously actuated thereby. The driven clutch member is half the diameter of the gear 35 and since the gear 36 carries one of the crank pins 35 for actuating the plunger head I5, the clutch member 80 will make one complete rotation durin half a cycle of plunger head operation. It is contemplated that the plunger head i5 will reach its lowermost position of maximum baling pressure at approximately the middle of the tying cycle represented by rotation of the clutch member 80, suitable means being provided to assure such synchronization as will be explained.

The driven clutch member 88 is hollowed out and formed with an interior clutch shoulder 8| of sloping configuration. Keyed to the cross shaft 1| Is a normally'idle clutch member 82 carry ni a dog 88 for releasable engagement with the sloping clutch shoulder 8|, the dog being mounted on a pivot 85 and being biased by a suitable spring 88 towards an extended position across the circular path of movement of the clutch shoulder. Normally theclutch member 82 is in the angular position shown in Fig. with the dog 83 held in its retracted position by an arm 81 of a suitable control or trip means, the arm pressing against a pin 84 that extends laterally from the dog. The arm 81 is part of a bell crank 88 which is biased by a spring 98. the strength of the spring 98 being suflicient to overcome the clutch spring 88. The bell crank 88 is mounted on and keyed to a trip shaft 9|, the trip shaft also carrying a trip arm 98. It is apparent that tripping of the trip arm 83 will release the dog 83 for spring-actuated movement into position for engagement by the clutch shoulder 8| thereby to cause the shaft 1| to rotate with the driven clutch member 88. Since the clutch shoulder 8| will rotate past the normal position of the clutch dog 88 once while the plunger head I8 is in its upper range of reciprocating movement and once again while the plunger head is at its lower range of movement, and since the tying operation should occur only while the plunger head is at its lower range,

"I provide means to automatically keep the clutch dog retracted when the plunger head is in its upper range of movement. To this end, as best shown in Fig. 2, I provide a short arm 95 integral with one of the plunger head support arms 3| and connect this small arm by a link 98 with a lever 81 fulcrumed at 98. When the plunger head I8 is at its uppermost position. the lower end of the lever 81 is held against the pin-84 to hold the dog 83 retracted independently of the arm 81 of the trip means. When the plunger head I8 approaches its lower lim t position, the

lever 81 is swung outwardly to permit the clutch dog to respond to actuation of the trip arm 93.

It is contemplated that the metering means 28 will actuate the described trip means whenever a predetermined quantity of compressed material accumulates within the baling chamber I5. The metering means 28 is in the form of a toothed disc or wheel extending upwardly through a slot in the bottom wall of the baling chamber for engagement by the compressed material moving progressively through the baling chamber. It is contemplated that the metering wheel will act periodically through asecond clutch of the overrunning type to actuate the trip arm 93.

In my present arrangement the metering wheel 28 is itself adapted to function as a driving clutch member and is therefore provided with suitable spaced clutch lugs I 88. Preferably the lugs are releasably mounted on the metering wheel so that the number and spacing of the lugs may be I the shaft 1| and which carries a pawl I88 for engagement with the clutch lugs I88. The pawl I 88 is mounted on a suitable pivot pin I85 and is urged by a suitable spring (not shown) into position for engagement with the clutch lugs I88 but is adapted to ride over the clutch lugs when the clutch member I82 tends to travel faster than the metering wheel. The clutch member I82 has a radial lug I88 for operative contact with the trip arm 88 and also has a lateral lug I81, the lateral lug extending into the path of a reset arm I88 that is keyed to the-shaft 1 I.

' Normally the clutch member I82 rests in an inclined position against the trip arm 98 with insufficient pressure to overcome the resistance of the trip mechanism spring 98. The progressive rotation of the metering wheel 28 with progressive movement of material through the baling chamber I5 eventually brings one of the clutch lugs I88 to bear against the end of the pawl I88, whereupon further rotation of the metering wheel acting through the clutch member I82 actuates the trip arm 93 to initiate an operating cycle of the baletying mechanism.

If the metering wheel 28 does not move sufficiently at this time to force the clutch member I82 free of the trip arm 83, the reset arm I88 included in the operation of the bale-tying mechanism will immediately contact the lateral lug I81 to force the clutch member'free, whereupon the clutch member will gravitate to its lowermost position. The reset arm I88 soon contacts the lateral lug I 81 to continue the rotation of the clutch member I82 upward past center, whereupon the clutch member gravitates to its normal position with the radial lug I88 resting against the trip arm 98. At the end of the bale-tying cycle, the reset arm I88 comes to a stop at the position indicated inFig. 5.

The tying mechanism is disclosed and claimed in co-pending application Serial No. 545,295, filed Julyl'l, 1944, by Wilhelm Vutz and Leo H.

Bruggeman.

Actuation of the moving parts From the leading tractor or other available source of power, a driving shaft 8 leads to a transmission III from which extends a lateral shaft 2 in a tubular housing II 3, the lateral shaft carrying a sprocket H5 and a suitable flywheel II8. A sprocket chain 1 connects the sprocket I I5 with a larger sprocket gear I I8 on an upper countershaft I28. Keyed to the countershaft I28 are two pinions I2I for driving thetwo crank gears 38 respectively and also keyed t9 the shaft is a small sprocket I22 that drives a sprocket chain I23 to a sprocket I25. The sprocket I25 is keyed to the previously mentioned cross shaft 32 on which are pivotally mounted the two arms 3| for the plunger head I8, the shaft 82 being free to rotate independently of the arms. Mounted on cross shaft 32 for actuation by the sprocket I25 is a second sprocket I28 from which a sprocket chain I21 leads downward to a sprocket I28 on the crank shaft 88 for actuating the conveying fingers 82. inally a sprocket chain I 38 passes around three sprockets; a sprocket I8I on the crank shaft 88, a sprocket I82 for driving the pick-up means 28 and an upper sprocket I 38 for driving the upper con- .veyor means 2 I.

Operation The operation of the baler may be readily understood from the foregoing description. As the device travels forward, the pick-up means 28 carries the material from the ground upward over the pick-up nose 52 to a point where the Periodically the fingers 82 of the conveyor means 22 shift" the accumulated material rearward into the path of the plunger head it at the receiving end of the baling chamber IS, the actuating connections being such as to time the rearward movement of the conveying fingers with the upper or retracted movement of the plunger head 16. Periodically the force increments of the accumulated material into the baling chamber, the cutting blades 45 and 48 severing material that would otherwise tend to bind the plunger head.

The material thus forced into the forward end of the baling chamber is packed into a compact mass that progresses intermittently towards the rear end of the baling chamber and in doing so intermittently advances the metering wheel 26. Periodically the metering wheel initiates a baletying cycle in the course of which the needles 23 move upward through suitable slots I35 in the upper and lower walls of the baling chamber and also through the corresponding slots 41 in the plunger head and then retract, the knotter means 25 meanwhile tying the finished bale.

In 'each of these bale-tying cycles, each of the needles 23 leaves a piece of twine hanging downwardly through the baling chamber with the upper ends of the two twines anchored. The material subsequently forced into the baling chamber moves rearwardly against the two downwardly hanging pieces of twine so that at the beginning of the next tying cycle a quantity of material sufllcient for a bale is engaged on three sides by the two pieces of twine. In the initial part of the succeeding tying cycle, the two needles 23 carry the twine upwardly to com plete the encirclement of the material and to permit the knotter means to complete the tying operation. The completed bales eventually drop out of the rear end of the baling chamber.

, My description in specific detail of a preferred practice of my invention will suggest to those skilled in the art various changes and substitutions under my concept and I reserve the right to all such departures from my disclosure that properly lie within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a baler of the type described, a baling chamber having a receiving end with curved slots, said receiving end and said slots having a common center of curvature spaced from said chamber, a plunger head, said head including a transverse support bar extending through the curved slots of said baling chamber, said head having a plurality of longitudinal ribs, one end of each of which is attached to said bar, said head also having a transverse pressure plate covering a portion of the other ends or said ribs, supporting means secured to said transverse supporting bar.

plunger head. descends to 8 said supporting means being pivoted for rotation about the center of curvature, and crank means operatively connected to said supporting means and rotative about a point to the side of said chamber adjacent said center of curvature.

2. A plunger head for use with a baler of the type described in which tying needles are used to bring the bale ties about one side of the bale, including a transverse supporting bar, a plurality of longitudinal ribs one end of each of which is attached to said supporting bar, said ribs being positioned to one side of said supporting bar, a transverse pressure plate attached to the other foremost ends of said ribs remote from said sup porting bar, said pressure plate covering only a portion 01. the forepart of said ribs, said pressure plate having a plurality of slots therein adapted to accommodate the needles of said baler during their movements, and a cutter blade attached in the forepart of said ribs. I v

3. In a baler of the type described, a baling chamber having a receiving end with curved slots, said receiving end and said slots having a common center of curvature spaced from said chamber, a plunger head, said head including a transverse support bar extending through the curved slots 01 said baling chamber, saidhead having a plurality of longitudinal ribs, one end of each of which is attached to said bar, said head also having a transverse pressure plate covering 9. P rtion of the other ends oi'said ribs, supporting means secured to said transverse support bar, said supporting means being pivoted for rotation about the center of curvature, and crank means mounted for rotation about an axis spaced between said chamber and said center of curvature, said crank means being operatively connected to said supporting means for actuation of said plunger head.

WILHELM VUTZ. REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date I 872,850 Rowekamp Dec. 3, 1907 1,027,868 Madsen .l. May 28, 1912 1,205,980 Dudley Nov. 28, 1916 1,819,432 Mickle Aug. 18, 1931 1,988,497 Jones Jan. 22, 1935 2,038,809 Tallman etal. Apr. 28, 1936 2,252,354 Raney Aug. 12, 1941 2,294,440 Barker Sept. 1, 1942 2,349,184 Martin May 16, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number. Country Date 703,382 France Feb. .3, 1931 1,179 Great Britain 1908 447,365 Great Britain May 18,1938 614,219 Germany g June 4, 1935 19,367/34 Australia June 18, 1935 

